The present invention generally relates to mixers and systems for controlling mixing. The mixers may be utilized in industrial and commercial settings for mixing ingredients, such as dough ingredients. An embodiment of the present invention relates to controlling the mixing of product mix, such as doughnut mix.
In making high-quality doughnuts, it is very important to use a dough that has been mixed for an optimum amount of time. If the dough ingredients are mixed for too short or too long of a period of time, the resulting doughnut will not have a taste that is of the highest quality and that meets the standards of discerning consumers.
Dough mix that is used to make doughnuts is made up of a variety of materials. The ingredients in such dough mix include yeast, water, and flour. Conventionally, various vendors provide yeast and flour to a maker of doughnuts. The quality, make-up, and characteristics of the ingredients, most notably the flour, will vary somewhat from year to year, from vendor to vendor, and sometimes from shipment to shipment. For example, the quality of flour may vary from crop-year to crop-year, depending on the weather and other variables.
Conventionally, the decision as to the length of time a dough mix should be mixed in a mixer to obtain a high-quality doughnut is made by an individual with many years of experience in the field. Essentially, such a decision is an art, and such an individual would examine dough mix before, during, and after mixing during several mixing runs before making such a decision. Based on the individual""s visual and tactile examination of the dough mix, the individual would decide the length of time that the dough mix should undergo mixing during a particular time period (e.g., that year). The individual would choose the length of mixing time for optimum development of the dough mix to produce an optimum doughnut. For example, the individual may choose a time period between twelve and fifteen minutes as an optimum mixing time for a particular year. It is conventionally recognized that this optimum development of the dough mix occurs approximately two to four minutes after the dough mix reaches its peak development (i.e., the point in its development at which the dough mix reaches its optimum extendability).
The length of time selected by such an individual depends on a great number of factors, including the person""s past experience and judgment. Thus, the length of time selected may vary from experienced individual to experienced individual. Moreover, the length of time selected by an individual may vary from year-to-year, depending on the characteristics of the materials used during a particular time period. The length of time selected may also vary depending on the relative make-up of the mix, e.g., the ratio of water to other materials, the temperature of the mix, and other factors (e.g., RPM of the mixing machine).
In a large retail doughnut operation with multiple retail stores, a very high volume of dough mix is used. Due to time, costs, administrative, and other constraints, mixing-time selection is conventionally made only once or twice by a skilled individual during a year in a large operation with multiple stores. Thus, in such an operation, the mixing-time selection made may not be optimum for every dough mix shipment, but is considered generally optimum on average for the shipments used during a year. Of course, given the variation in dough mix characteristics that may occur, one complication with the conventional method is that the mixing-time selected may be optimum or near-optimum for the great majority of dough mix shipments, but departs from optimum or near optimum for some of the shipments.
In such a large operation, too, the dough mix is distributed to the various retail stores in the operation and is mixed by employees of the retail stores according to instructions provided using on-site mixers. One of the instructions provided to the retails stores is the percentage amount of water to add to the dough mix (the water portion is generally not included in the delivery of dough mix) and the length of time that the dough mix should be mixed after adding water. The employees of the retail store may not, for one reason or another, follow the instructions provided exactly as provided. For example, more or less water than specified in the instructions may be added. A variation in water added will vary the make up of the dough mix, and will cause the optimum mixing time for that particular batch to vary from the length of time specified in the instructions. For example, the addition of less than the specified amount of water may cause the mixing time required to result in a doughnut of high quality to change. Thus, if an employee of a retail store adds less than the specified amount of water, but continues to mix the dough mix for the specified amount of time, a less-than-optimum dough is produced. Likewise, if the employee varies the amount of mix time while using the specified mix ratios, a less-than-optimum dough may be produced.
Thus, a complication of the conventional method includes the application of a single mixing-time to a high volume of dough mix shipments in a large, retail doughnut sales operation. Another complication is that producing optimum dough depends on employees of a retail store following the specific instructions provided with dough mix shipments.
A method and system for mixing dough mix that results in optimum dough for producing high-quality doughnuts that has none of, or fewer of, these complications is needed.
The present invention includes methods and systems that control the mixing process of a subject product such that the product is automatically mixed to a desirable level. An example of a suitable subject project for mixing using the present invention is dough used in making doughnuts and similar products.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a mixer comprising a motor, a power source, a mixing apparatus, a mixing time controller including a power meter, a processor and a timer, wherein the timer and the power meter are in communication with the processor. Suitable motors for use in a mixer of the present invention include motors conventionally utilized in industrial mixers, e.g. electric motors, DC motors, AC motors, and the like.
The mixing apparatus may comprise a dough hook, agitators, paddle, spoon, or other mixing apparatus conventionally utilized to mix dough. The power source of a mixer of the present invention should provide sufficient power to power the motor. The power source may be a source of AC or DC current. An example of a suitable power source is a 220 Volt AC power source.
In an embodiment of a mixer of the present invention, motor operation is controlled by a mixing-time controller. In an embodiment, the mixing-time controller comprises a switch to halt the motor and stop the mixing apparatus from mixing the dough.
In another embodiment, the mixing-time controller further includes a power meter and a processor. The power meter measures the power consumption of the motor. The processor processes information from the power meter and the timer, and calculates when to halt mixing based on such information.
In an alternative embodiment, the motor includes a transmission and/or a clutch between the motor and the mixing apparatus. The mixing-time controller may include a switch for disengaging the clutch or otherwise halting the mixing apparatus to stop dough mixing.
In an embodiment of a method of the present invention for controlling the mixing of dough ingredients, dough ingredients are mixed in a mixer. Examples of conventional dough ingredients include flour, yeast and water. A mixing-time controller having a power meter, a processor, and a timer is provided in a mixer having a mixer motor and a power source. The amount of power supplied to the mixer motor is measured in specified time intervals. For example, the amount of power being supplied may be measured every second using the power meter. Data relating to the amount of power supplied are stored. As the data are stored, a processor analyzes the data to identify a decline in the amount of power supplied. A control algorithm preprogrammed in the processor may be used to identify the decline. A decline in the amount of power supplied indicates that the dough is nearly mixed to a desired consistency. Once this decline in the amount of power supplied is identified, it is desirable to continue to mix the dough for a predetermined period of time. An example of a predetermined period of time is two minutes.
A timer may be used to measure the predetermined period of time. The timer may be activated by a signal sent from the processor after the identification of the decline in the amount of power supplied. After the predetermined period of time has elapsed, power is no longer supplied to the mixer motor, thus stopping the mixing of the subject dough mix.
In a further embodiment, the data relating to the amount of power supplied at the specified time intervals are sent to a computer for storage and further analysis. The data may also be sent over a computer network.
Embodiments of the present invention offer a wide variety of advantages and features. One advantage and feature is that embodiments detect the peak development point for a batch of mix, rather than using a pre-set time period.
Another advantage and feature is that, in embodiments, dough mix is mixed for an optimum amount of time for the production of high-quality doughnuts.
Moreover, an advantage is that the mixing time of a batch of mix is conducted based on the make-up of that particular batch.
A further advantage and feature is that labor cost is lessened by using embodiments of the present invention.
A still further advantage and feature is that embodiments avoid the application of a single mixing time to a high volume of dough mix shipments in a large, retail doughnut sales operation.
A still further advantage and feature is that the production of optimum dough mix is less dependent on employees of a retail store following the specific instructions provided with dough mix shipments.
Additional uses, objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will be set forth upon review of the attached exhibits and in the detailed description that follows, and will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following.